Jenny O. set to open for Rodriguez at Keswick

If you picked up the “Rave On Buddy Holly” tribute that was released back in the summer of 2011, you were treated to takes on the rock ’n’ roll icon’s work by the likes of Paul McCartney, Lou Reed, Nick Lowe, Kid Rock, the Black Keys, Modest Mouse and a number of other top names in music.

But tucked away on the disc is one of the true treasures on the collection — a catchy, euphoric version of “I’m Gonna Love You Too” by singer-songwriter Jenny O., who at the time was yet to release her first EP.

“I was asked by the people putting the Buddy Holly tribute together if I wanted to be part of it,” said Jenny O. “They knew about me and had seen me play. I was excited about it, but when I saw the list of great musicians who were already involved, I kind of went ‘whoa!’”

Whatever qualms she might have had about her place among music’s elite, since that initial appearance Jenny O. has definitely shown she is a voice that deserves to be heard. Her debut five-song EP “Home,” released a few days after the Buddy Holly tribute, garnered serious critical acclaim and gained serious exposure with songs being used in a Target advertising campaign and in the HBO series “True Blood.”

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But it’s on her staggeringly strong, full-length debut “Automechanic,” released back in February on Holy Trinity Records, that Jenny O. shows what an exciting new talent she really is. In the early going of 2013, the disc legitimately could be in the running for inclusion on the inevitable “best of the year” lists.

Recorded on analog tape, the 11-song album has that well-worn feel of being something that was easy and comfortable to put together.

“It really was like that,” laughed Jenny O., who will appear April 8 with Rodriguez at the Keswick Theatre. “I had an idea of what we wanted to do and how I wanted it to sound. At the time, when we started to seriously work on it, I didn’t have a recording contract.

“I just had an idea of the kind of album I wanted to make.”

What makes “Automechanic” even more impressive is the fact that it took her and producer/collaborator Jonathan Wilson only about 20 days to complete.

“We were both touring at the time, so it would be like recording a few days here and a few days there,” said Jenny O. “In some ways, it helped recording it that way. We went about it in a free way and if something wasn’t working, we moved on.

“Otherwise I think I would get lost thinking about why something might not be working. We didn’t have the time for that.”

By the end of the sessions, she knew they’d accomplished what she’d set out to do.

“It was survival of the fittest with the songs,” she laughed. “We knew fairly quickly which ones were working. We didn’t have lots left over or anything. We’d done maybe 14, but the 11 on the album were kind of the ‘must haves,’ the ones I knew were going to be there.”

One of those songs is “Automechanic,” which opens the disc, doubles as the album’s title and sets a tone of being in control.

“I didn’t want to put out my first album with some female singer-songwriter long, pretty title,” said Jenny O. “I didn’t want it to sound too precious or wistful. I like how it sounds like it should be the title for a third record, not a debut.

“We were talking about possible names for it and considered a couple of other things. Someone suggested ‘Automechanic.’ I was talking about it with a friend of mine, broke down the meaning of the word and I really liked the different ways you could look at its meaning. And there’s pieces there about taking charge and fixing things.

Other highlights of the album include “In Our Hands” and the heartbreaking piano ballad “Opposite Island.”